Poliovirus Remains a Global Risk for Another Three Months

A World Health Organization committee recently agreed that the risk of international spread of poliovirus continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

During the 41st meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations, the Committee members unanimously recommended extending the Temporary Recommendations three months into July 2025.

On April 9, 2025, the WHO Director-General accepted the Committee’s assessment.

The Committee also called on national governments to prioritize polio eradication in their domestic funding allocations to ensure sustained progress toward eradication and appreciates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s recent confirmation of its $500 million commitment to global polio eradication. 

Over the last three years, the nOPV2 polio vaccine has been administered about 1.1 billion times worldwide in various countries.

As of April 11, 2025, the U.S. CDC maintains a Global Measles Outbreak Travel Health Advisory that identifies 39 countries at risk for the spread of poliovirus.

In 2022, the United States was added to the list of polio-identified countries.

To reduce this significant health risk, the CDC says children and adults should be current on their routine polio vaccines, and that certain adult travelers visiting outbreak areas may get an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose.

In the United States, IPV vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.